The heroes she needs
by deijnar
Summary: 7 One-Shots (that are actually one story) mostly about the adorable Marinette Dupain-Cheng and her lovely family but also her "good friend" Chat Noir / This is my contribution to Marinette/Ladybug Appreciation Week 2018 ran by wearemiraculous on Tumblr!
1. Day 1 - Sewing

Nothing filled Marinette Dupain-Cheng with as much peace as sewing did. All of her thoughts and troubles just seemed to disappear immediately as soon as she fully concentrated on the needle in front of her and began to create something entirely new out of nothing but fabric, needle and thread.

But no matter how enjoyable it was to sew by hand, Marinette loved her sewing machine wholeheartedly. Every littlest detail had its own deep meaning to her and held a special place in her heart. Beyond allowing her to create original and unique presents for her loved ones the act of sewing itself put Marinette's mind at ease no matter how rough times might be.

The way the pedal and needle reacted to her every movement, no matter how light it was.  
The encouraging slight vibration it sent through her hands.  
The bright light the little lamp spread that accompanied her even in the darkest of nights.  
The comforting soft buzzing that almost reminded her of a cat purring.

On the spur of the moment she grabbed a green ribbon lying around and tied it around her sewing machine. Giggling she brushed it affectionately before turning back to the smooth black fabric in front of her.

Gently she touched the pedal on the ground with her toes and the machine began to hum instantly, following her demand by seemingly reading her mind.  
Yes, Marinette Dupain-Cheng loved her sewing machine wholeheartedly. But even more she loved the people it reminded her of.

Her mother had been the one to show her how to use a sewing machine in the first place and had taught her the basics. In no time Sabine had been out of advices to offer her daughter who excitedly soaked it all in.

Therefore her father gave Marinette her own sewing machine, the one she still used and cherished _._ Both of her parents had been so proud of her and supported her throughout the whole process of teaching herself more and more, practicing day and night to get even better than she already was. From day one her father had been wise to the fact that it needed the very best to tap his little girl's full potential.

She once tried to teach Alya a thing or two but the attempt went terribly wrong and the messy scratch on the side of her sewing machine as well as the hollow on her ground would always be proof that Alya should never try to sew again. Unbelievable but true, when it came to sewing Alya was way clumsier than Marinette was regarding anything.

It also reminded her of her grand-mère who couldn't believe that Marinette acted more like an old lady than she "would _ever_ do".

Nino had never interacted with her machine itself but each day Marinette arrived at school with a new piece that seemed to be handmade he always showered her with impressed compliments, causing her to blush intensely every single time.

And currently it also reminded her of her partner who surprisingly stopped by one night on patrol while she was working on a new blouse for Alya. Just like Nino he was very fascinated and cheered her on, evoking the thought in Marinette's head that the two of them would make adorable friends.

Anyway her pun-loving friend kept coming by the past few weeks to see what she was currently working on. Hopefully the black jacket with green embroidered paws would cause the delighted reaction she wished for.

Right on time Marinette heard a gentle knock from her skylight above. A thrill of anticipation ran through her body as she stood up and smirked at the boy looking down at her, trying to get a sneak peak on her work she was masterfully shielding with her body. The begging expression appearing on his face made her laugh and she climbed up her short ladder to let Chat Noir in.

He pouted.

"Since when does my princess keep secrets from me?" he asked in the most dramatic tone possible, placing his hand on top of his forehead as if he would swoon any moment.

"Since she's working on a present for her silly dramatic kitty", Marinette answered while rolling her eyes and playfully pushed his tousled head away.  
He sat up straight right away, looking at her with sparkling, wide eyes. "For me?"

"You should know that there's no other overly emotional cat in my life. I'm a loyal soul!" Now it was Marinette who crossed her arms and curled her lips.  
But instead of arguing with her he carried her off her feet and sheepishly smiled at her.

"I'm glad that's the case" he whispered fondly as she just stared up at him amazedly, slightly blushing. Then she snorted and pushed his head away once again. "You only want to see your present, don't you?"

"Please show me!" he begged, looking at her with his most convincing kitty eyes.

"I haven't even finished it yet-"

"Please, little lady!"

His moue finished her off and she motioned him to get inside. With a joyful smile he jumped down on her bed without letting go of her.

At this rate Chat Noir would be the death of her.


	2. Day 2 - Hero-Villain

The moment a costumer asked her father if his order took that long – it had been 45 seconds so far – because of his incredibly clumsy and incapable daughter, Marinette currently was in the back of the bakery to get said costumer a fresh pain au chocolate since the others in the shop counter had been damaged. Even though she did not hear what he said she heard the loud, deep voice of her Papa, trying to suppress his anger.

"Oh, excuse me, Sir, let me fix this for You" he hissed and grabbed the most squished one, threw it into a bag and tossed it into the face of the man in front of him.

Worryingly Marinette hurried back to the bakery to soothe her father but the second she stepped out of the kitchen the other costumers were already screaming at the top of their voices.

Startled she stared up to her father whose arms and legs had grown even thicker so that he had the shape of a grandfather clock. His beard had grown long and spiky just like watch hands and were twitching nervously. Actually he reminded her kind of a massive Cogsworth aside from the huge red timer that blinked threateningly on his breast.

With one swift motion he fired a spike, probably a watch hand too, towards the man who had insulted Marinette. It hit him right into his chest and he seemed to be frozen on the spot.

"If you don't have any time to lose I will force you to take some time and miss all your appointments!" He built himself up and the red numbers on his chest began to count down. "As soon as this timer goes off the time will fly by for you and you will reach the retirement age in no time. And you know what will follow short after."

The eyes of the impolite customer widened in shock, even though it happened very, very slow.

"Papa!" Marinette exhaled in shock and the tray full of pains au chocolate fell out of her hands. Faster than Marinette's eyes were able to perceive her akumatized father turned around and reached out to her.

"No one will ever bother you again my dear" he growled and took her surprisingly gentle into his fist. "I'll find you a nicer place to spend your time" he promised and headed outside, simply bursting the entry door.

Finally processing what just happened Marinette began to panic. As she knew her father he would not let her go unless they would rip her out of his dead hands. And since there would be no one to purify his akuma this scenario wasn't that impossible.

"Please Papa, no! That's not you!"

Tears streamed down her face. What should she do now? Was there anything she _could_ do? Her father had always been there for her, had been her hero. But when he needed her to save him, she couldn't.

In fact it didn't even matter that her father held her tight in his hand and that she wasn't able to transform since she wouldn't have been able to fight her own Papa as Ladybug anyway.

"Princess, are you ok? Did he hurt you?"

Chat Noir appeared on a nearby rooftop, his vigorous green eyes overshadowed with concern and worry.

"Don't fight him! Chat I swear if you hurt him in any way I will- iek!" The grab around her tightened and she was barely able to breathe. Chat's eyes widened in pure horror and he ran up to them as fast as she had never seen him run before.

"Go away street cat! Leave my little girl alone!" Tom yelled at him, shooting his time-manipulating arrows at Chat who easily dodged.

"I understand your worry Princess," Chat Noir jumped towards her, landing on her father's enormous hand and looking at her with burning determination in his green eyes, "but I will not sit and watch as he slowly strangles you."

"No! Go away! I can do this!" she screamed, unsuccessfully trying to push him away with her shoulder.

Not that she did not trust Chat, of course she did. She would have entrusted him with her own life without a second thought but this wasn't about her life. It was about her father's. And Chat Noir had incredibly strong and dangerous powers they not nearly knew everything about.

"You know that Ladybug will cure any injuries he sustains, don't you?" Chat asked her with an empathetic smile and tried to comfort her by placing a hand on her shoulder.

No. She wouldn't. That was Marinette's problem.

"But Ladybug is not here! I am the only one who can save him!" she screamed at him, shaking off his hand.

"I genuinely respect you, I really do. But I care even more for you and I will not let this happen to you." The determination was back in his eyes. Leaving a struggling Marinette behind he sprinted over the akuma's long, thick arm until he stood on his shoulder and raised his baton.

"The prince will always save the princess from the bewitched dragon" he whispered into the big ear in front of him before dashing the baton on the top of his head.

"Just leave him alone!" Marinette cried out in agony.

Fortunately the jab didn't seem to bother her father the slightest but unfortunately he hit Chat Noir again with superhuman speed.

"No, Chat! Papa, stop!" Marinette shouted painfully, trying to force her way out of the hand surrounding her.

Under normal circumstances Chat may had reconsidered his next move but since it was Marinette who was in the akuma's grip he followed his first impulse to do anything to free her as soon as possible.

With an intent outcry he ran towards the akuma again who simply flicked him off.

"Wait here for me", he said to Marinette, carefully dropping her on a roof. Then he faced Chat Noir, already hauling off again.

Marinette couldn't stand it. If she wanted to save Chat she had no time to transform.

Chat Noir held his hand up to his bleeding nose when suddenly a shadow fell over him. Scared he looked up but it wasn't Tom's enormous figure in front of him but Marinette, shielding him with outstretched arms.

"Papa! Please don't do this to me, I need you! And I need _him_ too!" Her father opened his mouth to answer but she just kept on screaming.

"If you go on like that you'll not only hurt my best friend but also your own daughter!" She barely saw anything through her blurry vision. "I don't need someone to take revenge for me! I need you to hug me and to listen to my rambling, not to separate me from my friends!"

She took one step closer.

"I need my Papa."

As Marinette threw herself into his arms something unbelievable happened right in front of Chat's eyes.

Slowly a dark aura enwrapped Tom who quickly shrunk to his normal size, right on time to securely catch his little girl.


	3. Day 3 - Favorite Ship

Lying on her bed wide awake Marinette stared up to her ceiling. Her father had to spend the night at the hospital and her mother did not have the heart to leave him alone so Marinette decided to go home to not worry her any further. She even planned to go to school the next day, it hadn't been that bad after all. At least she tried to tell herself that.

But inside her head the picture of blood streaming down her father's face and his pained and conscience-stricken expression haunted her every time she closed her eyes.

She had no idea what she had done let alone how she had done it but apparently the akuma victims remembered everything if Ladybug wouldn't use her Lucky Charm. Of course she had tried to use it retroactively but just like Tikki had warned her beforehand it hadn't worked. Therefore she hadn't been able to heal her Papa's wounds neither his feeling of guilt.

No matter how hard she tried, all of her thoughts circled around her father. Unfortunately she was too shaken to sew and the phone call she had shared with Alya earlier hadn't put her mind at ease either.

For the first time her best friend hadn't filmed the akuma attack even though she had been there because she had been too taken aback seeing Marinette being dragged out of her home. Throughout the whole conversation Alya had switched between several topics like monologues about how much she loved Marinette, telling silly stories and jokes to try to divert her from her dark thoughts and – past all belief – scolding Ladybug.

Of course Marinette was grateful for having a friend like Alya but her call just helped as long as it lasted. Now she was alone again and had to think about the past events.

Suddenly a dark face appeared in her field of vision and she hardly winced at the unexpected visitor.

"Holy crap, Chat! What are you doing here? You nearly scared me to death!" she immediately ranted after opening her skylight.

"Scaring you was the last thing I wanted, please excuse me, princess" he apologized and looked down timidly. The rueful kitty in front of her warmed her heart instantly and she sighed with a little smile.

"It's fine, I'm sorry. In fact I'm glad you're here, come in" she responded and made way for her friend who followed her inside with a bright, relieved smile.

After they made themselves comfortable on Marinette's bed her anxiety settled a little already. As soon as Chat was sure that she would be okay with it he carefully asked the question that had preyed on his mind for the last few hours: "So… how's your dad?"

Once again an uneasy feeling hit Marinette's guts but the genuine concern in Chat's eyes also reassured her. With a thankful smile she placed a hand on Chat's knee.

"Luckily he has no serious injuries, thanks for worrying. I guess he must feel terrible about what happened but I'll make sure to convince him that everything is perfectly fine as long as he isn't hurt. He was fast asleep and I wasn't able to actually talk to him but I will tomorrow. Oh, and I'm sure he would want to thank you for rescuing me" she added because she just realized that Chat must have been worried sick too that he seriously had harmed her father. Sure enough he sighed in a way that showed that it was a weight off his mind. But to her surprise the concerned expression on his face reappeared almost immediately.

"What about you? Are you okay?"

All it took had been these three words for Marinette to burst into a flood of tears. She couldn't help it, they just streamed down her cheeks as she hid her face with her hands, uncontrollably sobbing.

"Yes! Yes, I am totally okay! Thanks to you and… the love of my Papa, lasting even… even during an akumatization but… I was… I just… I was so scared! I don't even want to imagine what could possibly have happened to him. I can't, I-"

Suddenly Chat's arms wrapped around her and pulled her close. She held on tight and just kept crying on his shoulder as he carefully rubbed her back, trying to settle her.

"Nevertheless, you were incredible. I mean, I've been a superhero for quite some time now and I never witnessed anything like what you did before. Ladybug and I may be somewhat impressive but what we do is nothing compared to what you did today. You purified an akuma simply with words, you didn't even need a Miraculous! You really are amazing, Marinette." Fondly he smiled down at the girl in his arms whose breathing got steady again while he slowly stroked her head.

"Thanks for being here for me Chat" she mumbled against his chest followed by something that sounded like "I really appreciate it".

They stayed like this until Marinette calmed down and Chat thought it was time to distract her from all the drama of the day so he let loose and smiled at her.

"Hey, you unleashed your magic so fast that his timer wasn't even near its end and everyone got away with just a shock. I mean, the guy that caused your dad to get akumatized may not visit your family's bakery ever again but that's not a great loss." Cheerfully he winked at her and a soft laughter escaped Marinette's lips.

"And don't worry about the bakery's front door I heard that Monsieur Lahiffe took care of it right away and he's the very best in his field."

Chat looked at Marinette's little smile with zest.

"You're really good at encouraging and cheering people up" she said and nudged his arm.

"That's what I'm here for! To cheer a damsel in distress up with my charming presence! No girl can be sad while spending time with a perfect guy like me" he proudly stated and wiggled his eyebrows. To his tremendous relief Marinette began to giggle and seemed to slowly but surely start to relax.

"Ah, okay. How is that?" Marinette asked with a smirk and raised her eyebrows, gladly joining the bantering as she wiped away her tears.

"Can't you see?" shocked about her obviously unnecessary question Chat gasped. "I am _incredibly_ handsome" he explained, flexed his arm and shot her a seductive smile. Marinette couldn't help but throw back her head and burst out sincerely laughing.

"You know, I am so happy that you're feeling better that I don't even care that you're laughing at me as if I'm the most hideous person you've ever met" Chat said laughing too while Marinette leaned against his shoulder and tried to apologize but couldn't because she still was convulsed with laughter.

The night went on with the two of them chaffing, laughing and low-key cuddling until Marinette yawned more than she talked and eventually fell asleep on Chat's lap. A few minutes he just enjoyed the moment and ran his fingers through her hair until he also started to feel sleepy.

Carefully he leaned over her to grab her phone and turned it off. One of them barely staying awake in class tomorrow would be enough.

As gently as possible he caressed her cheek and placed a soft kiss on her forehead before vanishing into the black of night.


	4. Day 4 - Family

"Your father is still… exhausted" Sabine put an arm around her daughter's shoulders and hugged her tight. "But he wanted to see you by all means. He feels very bad about what happened and just wants to show you that he didn't mean it. But… you know that, don't you?"

Even though she did not say it Marinette knew that her mother was worried sick too. After all she knew best how sensible her daughter was and how intimidating her husband could appear even without an anger-driven akuma possessing him.

"Of course I know that. Thanks, Maman" Marinette whispered and hugged her mother back who held her way longer than expected and she knew instantly that what she had said couldn't be everything.

"He fears that you are afraid of him" Sabine added scarcely audible, holding back her tears.

Likewise did Marinette who couldn't stand the thought of her Papa feeling guilty for what happened and even torturing himself with the expectation of his daughter running from him.

"I need to see him" she said with a shaky yet determined voice, let loose of her mother and walked down the hallway as fast as her legs allowed.

Room B305, B307, B309…

Eventually a bright green plate signalized her that she had arrived at Tom's patient's room. As of now only a broad white door separated Marinette from her father aside from her apprehensively beating heart. Before she reached out to the handle she closed her eyes and took one last deep breath. She still had the unrealistic resolution to not cry in front of her father.

Slowly she opened the door a tiny crack but then hesitated again.

"Hello? Is anybody there?"

As soon as Marinette heard the unlikely weak voice of her Papa her eyes welled up with tears already and she almost ran through the door.

"Papa!" she exclaimed but stopped in the middle of the room, insecure about what to do next. Besides the fact that the cold white atmosphere intimidated her she wasn't sure what her father would be most comfortable with.

"My dear Marinette" he whispered with a relieved yet sad smile on his lips. "I am so incredibly sorry. Words cannot describe how much I regret what happened, I…" he wanted to go on, showering his precious girl with apologies and words of comfort but he couldn't. Never before had Marinette heard the voice of her father crack but there, right in front of her, she witnessed the weakest moment of her father's life. And although it was harder than anything Marinette had gone through up to this day she could only just hold back the tears as long as she kept quiet so she just nodded.

"Cherie, I would never hurt you and I would never forgive myself if something would happen to you" Tom continued after a short moment of composing himself. Intuitively he reached out one hand towards Marinette with a pleading expression on his face.

"Come here Mari. Let me hug you, please."

Without any hesitation and tears streaming down her face Marinette threw herself into her Papa's arms, his warm embrace righting all the wrongs immediately.

The well-known strong arms surrounding her were home, were safety. The chubby belly the leaned against was coziness and a bastion of calm. And the hands holding and consoling her soul were trust and support, were love.

"I love you very very much Papa, you know that, right? And I know that you would never do anything to harm me" she sobbed into his T-Shirt as he caringly stroked her hair. A soft, relieved laughter caused them to shake slightly.

"I love you even more my little bug" he answered tenderly as he placed his chin on top of her head.

Sabine stood in the doorway and watched her family cuddling and crying with a loving smile until her husband noticed her and reached out his hand again, mentioning her to join them. With a cheerful giggle she took his hand and nuzzled her daughter's hair.

"And I love both of you the most" she ended with a sneaky grin, prompting a defiant snort from her husband while her daughter laughed and threw her arms around her neck.

"So, when will you be allowed to leave the hospital and come back home? I need to prepare your homecoming properly!" Marinette asked as she snuggled up to her father's shoulder with a peaceful smile.

"Well, you'll need to hurry Cherie, I'm allowed to leave tomorrow morning. I hope you'll pick me up?" he asked inexpressibly glad about how things had turned out.

"Yes! Of course!" Marinette said energetically as she jumped up excitedly. "But I have to do a lot of stuff first so I'll leave now!" Buzzing with anticipation she grabbed her bag and rushed out the door.

Taken by surprise Sabine stared at the door while her husband next to her giggled lightheartedly. "Can you believe we did that? Our daughter really is-"

"Forgot something!" Marinette explained as she came back into the room, gave both of her parents a little peck on the cheek and sprinted back to the hallway.

"-the best" Sabine ended her husband's sentence with a happy smile as she leaned against his shoulder and he kissed the top of her head.

"The sweetest, greatest girl on earth, just like her mother."


	5. Day 5 - Patrol

Ladybug was skeptical.

The whole night Chat had been oddly quiet and lost in thought. Apparently she had accompanied him in moments like this as Marinette every now and then but in front of Ladybug he usually kept up his cheerful, goofy and lighthearted façade, including puns and flirts of all kind. Tonight she hadn't seen any of it.

Not that she disliked it, in fact she adored this side of him and if he had shown his thoughtful self in front of Ladybug earlier she would have fallen for him long ago.

"You're acting rather strange today, Chat. What's wrong?" she finally asked since he hadn't even reacted to a very bad pun she came up with causing her to seriously begin to worry.

"Oh, uhm… yeah, I guess I am" he stuttered as if she caught him doing something wrong. "It's just that… I-I was kind of afraid that something happened to you. There was an akuma attack and you didn't show up at all. It's not like you and I tried but couldn't find a plausible reason why you stayed away. Furthermore a close friend of mine and her amazing father have been in danger and I couldn't really do anything" he turned away from her, staring into the dark wide distance.

"You and I can't image what they went through or may even still be going through and believe me, they deserve so very much better, I give a guarantee for that" he grunted and tore his hair with frustration.

Overwhelmed Ladybug blinked at him, trying to sort out the unexpected feelings flooding her, suppressing the urge to tell him that she'd gone through it all, that she understood it completely. If nothing else the urge to tell him how much she appreciated his concern and care. That it was her.

Suddenly he turned back around to face her, a single tear streaming along his mask and her heart stopped.

"Why, my lady? Although I _know_ that it isn't true the question if you think that she isn't worth it bothered me constantly the last few days. I mean at first I was nervous that you were in trouble yourself but then I saw you on patrol alone and realized, to my indescribable relief, that you're fine. But for as much as I know you never apologized or explained it to them. I just… I don't get it. I think so highly of you. Please tell me why." Tensed he looked at her with compressed lips, filling her heart with something like happiness and great pain at the same time. But mostly it hurt.

He cared so much. For her, for both of her sides. But now he was deeply conflicted and she couldn't blame him, not at all. How could he know? She never told him the truth, she couldn't. Not so far and definitely not now.

"You are absolutely right Chat" Ladybug finally whispered, her voice shaking. "I did it all wrong. I am so very sorry. I… I couldn't make it in time and when I arrived you already took care of it yourself somehow, at least that's what I thought. So I… I don't know what I thought. You're right, it's my fault."

Once again Chat faced her backwards, tightly holding on to a railing in front of him.

"I'm pleased that you trust me that much and I'm glad you understand my point. But his wounds that _I_ caused didn't heal and _she_ didn't forget about how her father grabbed and scared her! And you should know that the people of Paris _need_ _you_ to be healed – to be fine!" By now the tears framing his face were tears of anger as he barely stopped himself from screaming.

Ladybug turned her face away while tears streamed down her face as well as it occurred to her that her father might think the same. That Ladybug believed that he wasn't worth it.

From the very first day her parents hold Ladybug's deeds in veneration, putting cardboard stand-ups of the heroine and her partner on display at the bakery at every given occasion and inventing Ladybug related pastries, telling kids about what a great inspiration she should be to all of them, not just to the bakers.

And she simply forgot to do it justice.

"I am so sorry."

Chat took a deep breath and slowly turned back to her but couldn't look her in the eye.

"I am not the one you need to apologize to. I'm sorry but I need time to think."

So did Ladybug, lonely standing on a rooftop in the middle of the night, trying to come up with a plan about what to do next to make it up to the people who were most important to her.


	6. Day 6 - Baking

"I still can't believe that you're _way_ better at this than I am" Marinette pouted and watched her father's huge hands carefully holding a fragile egg as he separated egg yolks from egg whites. Then she looked at her own small hands, her thin long fingers and the three broken egg yolks in front of her.

Laughingly her father nudged her shoulder and handed her another egg.

"You can do this Cherie. Skill comes with practice, don't get discouraged!" He shot her an encouraging smile before turning back to his bowl.

Determined Marinette took the egg, making sure not to drop or crush it like she did during her first two attempts. So far so good.

She'd already come this far the third time she tried but poked the egg yolk with the eggshell causing it to leak. This time she was more careful as she decanted the egg yolks while letting the egg white flow off.

"Ha! Look Papa, I did it!" she exclaimed as she proudly showed her work to her father.

"I knew you can do it" he said with a bright smile. "And with this one we finally have enough for the Petit Fours. Could you prepare the double boiler please?"

"Consider it done!" Marinette saluted and twirled around.

She was super excited, it must have been years since the last time they had baked together. When it came to business Marinette only assisted at the counter and on Christmas Sabine and Tom were so fed up with baking cookies that they had established other traditions. Within the family they usually were baking _for_ one another rather than _with_ each other but today it was different because Marinette and Tom had been in complete agreement that they had an important duty to fulfill: to thank Chat Noir.

And for the Dupain-Chengs, no matter what the occasion might be - an apology, a thank you, a birthday, a reunion, anything - there was only one right way to show their love; with delicious baked goods.

Marinette was absolutely sure that Chat would be delighted.

"Okay Cherie, I put you in charge of the butter cream while I'll take care of the sponge mixture, d'accord?" her father asked over his shoulder while he scrambled the egg yolks with sugar.

"D'accord!" she agreed and they switched places in perfect sync.

"I guess I'll manage the decorations then" Sabine added as she entered the kitchen. With a bright smile Marinette looked up at the unexpected appearance of her mother.

"Honey, what are you doing here?" Tom asked pleasantly surprised as his wife joined them.

"After all I wanted to thank our hero for saving my family too" she explained, gave him a kiss on his cheek and gathered everything she needed.

Now the family baking was perfect and Marinette happily smiled during the whole act of preparing the butter cream like she had been told to. But then things escalated.

Sabine was carefully shaping little black paws out of fondant and Marinette joined her after putting the cream into the fridge. Meanwhile her father mixed green icing and sat down across from them.

"This looks absolutely beautiful Marinette!" her mother complimented her and she began to giggle.

"Thanks Maman, yours aren't too bad as well" she teased causing her mother to dramatically gasp.

"Excuse me?!"

Short after Marinette gasped too as she got attacked by drops of flying icing.

"I command you to show more respect to your mother!" the so called head of the family grunted, upholding his wire whip and barely containing his laughter.

"Ohoho, you'll pay for this!" Marinette said threateningly, ran around the table and grabbed for a handful of flour on her way. In a helpless attempt to protect himself he raised an arm in front of his face but the flour was already fluttering down on him.

Now it was Sabine who couldn't hold back and bubbled over with laughter. "I didn't expect you to go gray _that_ fast" she managed to say between laughing and taking gulps of air.

"You too betray me, wife?" Tom pouted, still holding up his wire whip. Realizing that said wife was unarmed he now targeted her. "You'll regret that soon but it will be too late!"

"Noooo!" her mother screamed and tried to hide from her husband's attack but he was too fast and the icing hit her right in the face.

Marinette had no time to laugh since her father now turned towards her and she was way too close to escape him.

The relentless battle went on for a fairly long amount of time but somewhere along the line they managed to finish the Chat Noir Petit Fours. Proudly the three of them stood in front of the table and inspected their work.

"We should definitely start to sell these in the bakery" Tom noted as Sabine nicely organized the small cakes on a plate, green icing still sticking to her nose.

"We could place them where the Ladybug cupcakes are displayed" Marinette added without a second thought.

Her mother froze in her tracks and her father turned around to face her with a worried expression.

"You want to replace Ladybug?" he asked quietly, sitting down to be near her eye level at least.

Realizing what she had said Marinette's eyes widened. "No! No, of course not! I mean… I don't know, actually…" Timidly she looked down. It's now or never. "Don't you fell kinda… left in the lurch?"

The shock was largely written in his face as her Papa answered her. "No, I don't. Oh Cherie, are you feeling this way? She must have had a good reason to stay away. Please, don't lose trust into her, she saved us and all of Paris so many times I lost count. If she could she would have saved us immediately, I'm profoundly convinced of that!" Carefully he engulfed his daughter in a hug and petted her head as her mother placed a warm supportive hand on her shoulder. "Yes, she may not have been there and we don't know why but I'm sure she had her reasons. We're not less important to her than the rest of the city."

Tears sprang to Marinette's eyes but out of the corner of her eyes she saw Tikki coming out from behind some pots.

They didn't need words. Tikki just nodded and Marinette took a deep breath.

"Papa, Maman, there is something I need to tell you."


	7. Day 7 - Reveal (Part 1)

"I hope she finally tells us that she's dating Chat Noir" her father joked to lighten up the mood and Marinette blushed furiously.

"Wha- What?!" she squeaked as she escaped his arms and avoided his amused eyes looking down at her. The merriment vanished at a moment's notice when his wife slapped his arm. Hardly.

"Ouch! Sabine, you can't tell me you don't want that to happen!" he complained as he held his arm, staring at her in disbelief.

"Tom, she was serious, please be quiet" she cut him short and turned to her daughter with an encouraging smile. "Go on sweetie. What is it that you want to tell us?"

To gain some time Marinette coughed and fought back the blush that still burned on her cheeks. Behind her parent's backs Tikki tried to animate her to continue with another nod.

"Okay. Uhm, Papa, you know… It should have been me. I should have fought the akuma possessing you, not only Chat Noir. And I should have saved and healed you. It's no one's fault really but still I feel like you should know what was going on and why things turned out the way they did."

"But that's exactly what you did Cherie" her Papa said reassuringly with a loving smile on his lips. "You saved and healed me."

"No, that's not what I did" Marinette disagreed. "It's what I couldn't do because no one is allowed to see my transformation. At least I didn't do it the way I wanted to. Even though I am more than happy with how things turned out I have no idea what let alone how I did it. Usually I handle those things differently" she explained with an apologetic smile.

"What are you talking about Marinette?" he asked puzzled, not comprehending what she meant.

For the last time before exposing her secret to her parents she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I guess I need to introduce you to someone to understand."

Tensed herself Tikki slowly appeared in the field of vision of Marinette's parents.

"Maman, Papa, that's-"

"My name's Tikki" she burst out, shooting her holder an excusing gaze. But before Marinette could add something her mother began to speak.

"So _that's_ what Tikki looks like, I always wondered!" she said with delight and held up her pinky. "Hello Tikki, it's so nice to finally meet you! Thanks for accompanying and protecting my daughter on all of her adventures."

Marinette's jaw dropped as Tikki took her mother's finger with both of her tiny arms and shook it with a bright smile, relieved about her warm reaction. "It's a pleasure Madame Cheng" she answered with a bright smile, not noticing that what was happening right there was far from any expected possibility.

The two of them began to chat happily while Marinette tried to process what took place in front of her and her father just stood beside her, dumbfounded.

"Maman?" Marinette finally managed to blurt out and her mother looked at her with a roguish grin.

"Are you really surprised my dear? I am your mother. And I can _hear_ you up there" she explained and giggled cheerfully. Confused Tikki's glimpse flew between Marinette and Sabine, her eyes eventually widening in comprehension.

"But how-"

"What's that?" Tom finally participated in the conversation, pointing at Tikki as if he hadn't heard anything of what had been said so far.

"That's my Kwami. She gives me my powers and as she already told you her name is Tikki" Marinette explained still overwhelmed herself.

"A what? What powers are you talking about?" he asked again, not slightly wiser than previously.

Clenching her fist Marinette gathered all of her courage. "I guess I'll show you" she said, smiled at Tikki and nodded. "Tikki, spots on!"

Excited Sabine clapped her hands together in anticipation while Tom just stared at his daughter with a gaping mouth during her whole fascinating tranformation.

"Voilà!" Marinette exclaimed shyly as her parents stared at her costume with expressions on their faces that couldn't be more different. Apparently her mother beamed at her in a way that gave the impression that she might be near an explosion while her father looked as though he'd seen a ghost.

" _You're Ladybug_?" he finally yelled as high-pitched as it was possible for a man of his caliber. But before Marinette could react in any way he turned around to face his wife. "And you knew?!" he cried out, obviously hit between the eyes by those news. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Ready to get her husband back to earth Sabine stood with her hands on her hips. "What are you expecting from me? I was not supposed to know! I had to respect our daughter's decision, I trusted her that she knew what she was doing. Do you think this was easy for me? I was worried sick every single time there was an akuma attack! And we both know that you're unable to withstand stuff like that!" she scolded her husband before turning around to face Marinette with a loving smile. "You did so great sweetie, words cannot describe how-"

"Are you kidding?!" Tom cut her short and pulled Marinette back into his arms. "Why should I worry when our daughter is so indescribably awesome?" He let loose and held Marinette at arm's length to be able to look at her. "Oh Cherie, don't worry about what happened, okay? Nothing could possibly change my mind when it comes to how proud I am of you – as Marinette and from now on also as Ladybug." Tears sprang to his eyes and he embraced Marinette again who had already started to cry long ago.

"Your Papa is right" Sabine agreed affectionately while pushing her husband's arm away to be able to hug their daughter as well. "We are incredibly proud of you Marinette."

Of course citizens had already clasped her in their arms countless times to thank her for her commitment but Marinette never felt as comfortable inside of her Ladybug suit as right now, embraced by her parent's love. In fact she couldn't come up with anything comparing to that felling.

"Now go and tell him."


	8. Day 7 - Reveal (Part 2)

For what must have been the first time in her whole life Marinette had run off without having anything even near a plan. Somehow the all-consuming urge to see Chat and finally tell him the truth took over and made her leave her parents to find him immediately.

"Wait, take this and give it to him! And bring him back with you so we can hand him the rest" her mother had called after her and held out one of their nicely wrapped Chat Noir Petit Four.

Now Marinette stood on her balcony, Petit Four in hand and no idea what to do next. Adrenaline was still rushing through her body, yelling at her to go on and find him already. But how?

Suddenly it appeared to her that it was his turn to patrol and she knew the exact route he always combed. Even though it was quite late yet and he might have finished it already she decided it was worth the try to catch him on his way back.

Therefore she found herself once again on top of the roof where he had left her a few days ago. She hadn't seen him since, not as Ladybug neither as Marinette. Obviously he wouldn't be too happy to meet Ladybug and would turn on his wheel as soon as he saw her so she decided to detransform.

As Marinette she wasn't too comfortable with being above the roofs of Paris but she was sure it was worth it. Nevertheless she was freezing like crazy.

Foolishly she had left home in such a hurry that she hadn't even grabbed her jacket and without her magic suit warming her the cold felt like a thousand needles on her bare skin. She shivered and tried to get warmer by hugging herself.

"Mari I think we should go back… You'll get sick" Tikki tried to convince her but she couldn't talk her out of it. Marinette was determined to tell Chat Noir everything. Tonight.

Time passed and Marinette lost track of it but she wouldn't go home until the sun came up even though she already felt her nose running.

"Marinette? Oh my god Mari, what are you doing here?" she finally heard Chat Noir from behind her and before she could turn around he already wrapped his arms around her. "You're as cold as ice! I'll get you home right now. What are you even doing here and _how_ did you get up here anyway?" he bubbled over with questions of concern and already tried to pick her up but she held up her hands and took a step back from him. Startled he looked at her, worry written all over his face.

"I need to talk to you" she managed to say through her chattering of teeth.

"Well, you can tell me anything as soon as you're home and warmed-up" he responded and carried her off her feet despite her protest.

"But it's urgent" she raised a poor complaint but rested her head against his warm, strong, comfortable chest as she accepted her defeat.

"If it really is that important you can tell me on our way as well" he relented but she barely noticed it.

"We're already here" he whispered into her ear after what felt like no time. She must have fallen asleep instantly.

Soft-footed Chat Noir landed on her balcony, carried her through her skylight and wrapped her in all the blankets he could find.

"Marinette you got me really worried there, please don't do that again. What were you doing out there anyway?" he asked a little reproachfully as he decided to hug her instead of just enwrapping her because body warmth still seemed to be most effective. At least he told himself that this was his only reason.

"I told you there is something important I need to tell you" she answered weakly and sneezed.

"Bless you. And for that you needed to climb some random roof in hope that I would come by? Without a jacket? Seriously Marinette every reason I can come up with is unbearably unpleasing so please tell me everything" he begged almost desperately. Slowly she moved away from him a little to be able to see his face even though she relished his embrace to the fullest.

"I knew you would come by" she whispered timidly and looked down at the package inside her hands. "Oh, and my parents and I made this for you to thank you for saving us! There's more than just this one" she added and handed him the little cake.

"That's extremely adorable but I am still worried sick Marinette" Chat said and took it, not deigning to look at it.

"Right. Sorry. I got distracted there." She took her courage in both hands and looked him straight in the eye. "I knew you would come around for sure."

"So you're telling me you're my stalker?" he joked but she could see that he was still deeply scared for her.

"No. You told me" she answered terse because she had no idea on how to break the news to him.

"I did?" he asked surprised and the pure, innocent eyes of his almost broke her heart.

"Well, not me me. But I guess you could say you told it someone else who is me…" By now he became suspicious and couldn't take it any longer.

"Okay Marinette just tell me what you want to say, I'll listen to it all. Just spit it out." Still he couldn't hide his worry.

"Okay. But you have to stay quiet and not interrupt me" she demanded and his nod gave her all the encouragement she needed.

"I know you're disappointed by what I did and for all you know it's perfectly understandable-" it was apparent that Chat already regret it completely that he agreed on not to interrupt her "-but I can't leave you in the dark here. It's not fair to you and also I don't want to hide it from you anymore since you're really precious to me and this, whatever it is, can only go on if you know the truth."

As she spoke both their hearts began to race for multiple reasons and almost burst when she took his hands into hers and looked him in the eye even more intensely.

"You only told Ladybug your patrol route didn't you? And I knew anyway."

He stared at her blankly.

"And Ladybug wasn't there when my father got akumatized and took me with him, right? And you were angry that she did not apologize to me or talked about the incident in any way. That's because she indeed had been there and knew everything and just didn't think about talking to you or my Papa."

With every word she spoke his eyes grew wider.

"Well, you know, that's because…" she hesitated and took a deep breath. "…I am Ladybug."

Silence.

"Chat?" she asked scarcely audible after a while, afraid of what he might be thinking about right now. Hopefully he wouldn't disappear again because even though she could live with him being angry at Ladybug she could not bear the thought of him avoiding Marinette.

"Really?" he whispered under his breath eventually. "Is it really you?"

"Yes."

And there wasn't even the need to say the words, Tikki just got absorbed by her earrings self-controlled.

"Could I truly be this lucky?" Astonished Chat Noir looked at her, raising his hand to tenderly caress her cheek.

"Claws off."

Before Marinette could even open her mouth a green light ran across Chat's body and his Kwami manifested next to his ring. Strained she stared at it.

"Look at me my Lady" he whispered as he came closer, his hand still on her cheek. It felt so powerful yet fond.

Ever so slowly Marinette raised her eyes to face him, to look into the gorgeous green eyes of the boy she had slowly but surely fallen in love with.

And then her heart stopped.

"I had no idea how to tell you either… I am super glad you did it. I should have known that you're the braver one out of us." Adrien laughed embarrassed and scratched the back of his head as she blinked at him in disbelief.

This couldn't be true. She must be dreaming. It was impossible. Chat Noir could not be Adrien.

But there he was, the boy she'd fallen for at the very first day, sitting in front of her wearing the jacket she'd made for Chat Noir – for him.

"So what are we…"

Without any warning she threw herself into his arms, uncontrollably chuckling and tears of joy sneaking out of the corner of her eye. She was unable to find any words to describe the joy currently flooding her heart, leaving no room for sorrow or doubts.

Chat Noir was Adrien.

Deliriously happy he enfolded her in his arms and held her tight. All his fear about what might be wrong with Marinette vanished to clear space for tremendous relieve and delight.

Marinette was Ladybug.

"How is it possible that we never noticed?" Marinette giggled and her breath tickled his neck. He loved the feeling of it and never wanted to miss it again.

"I don't know. I guess I've been a blind lovelorn idiot the whole time but I have no idea how a such a clever girl as you are didn't realize it" he laughed and stroked her smooth, beautiful hair.

There was no way he would let go of her any time soon.

At least that was what he thought until Marinette got shaken by a series of sneezes and Tikki literally got catapulted out of the Miraculous. Involuntarily Plagg caught her with his face.

"I'll go get you some tea" Adrien decided and, way too soon, released the soft girl out of his arms. But she held fast onto him, unwilling to let him go.

"Noooo stay, you're such a warm fluffy kitty!" she whined and snuggled up to him. With an affectionate smile he looked down at her and carefully pushed her away from him.

"I don't like that as well but I will be right back. And I'll bring those Petit Fours with me you talked about earlier" he winked and this offer sealed the deal.

"Fine" Marinette grumbled and wrapped the blankets around her even tighter since she already missed his comfortable, soothing warmth.

"But I can't leave you here freezing" he declared, maybe with the ulterior motive to hand her a part of him so she wouldn't even get the chance to forget him. But just maybe.

So he took of his beloved jacket and placed it on her shoulders after freeing her from the blankets. "Now you'll experience how great your sewing is yourself" he whispered with a smile playing around his lips and kissed her cheek. "I'll be right back."

Blandly she stared at him, unable to move a single muscle inside of her body as her skin burned pleasantly where his lips had touched it.

Meanwhile the jacket on her shoulders shed a well known perfume and it occurred to her that she should have realized that Adrien and Chat always had had the same scent to them way earlier. Yes, she had always loved the sweet smell of Adrien's perfect hair and yes, she also had had a thing for what she had scented every time Chat had carried her close to him but she had never realized that it had been _the same_ scent this whole time.

While Adrien climbed down the ladder and headed towards her door a thought suddenly struck her and she jolted out of her trance.

"No Adrien, wait!"

But it was too late. The door was already open and Marinette heard the voice of her Maman.

"Adrien, what are _you_ doing here?"

And then she heard the deep, unmistakable laugh of her father.

"I guess now we really know everything."

* * *

Author's note:

So that's it - the end! I really really hope you guys like it ️:)

And to the sweet human being whose heart I broke on day 5; I tried to make this extra fluffy for you, I am very sorry and I hope you forgive me :D your comment made me incredibly happy, thank you so much! ️


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